Oil-well mechanism



Jan. 15, 1929.

C. P. HOWE OIL WELL IEGHANISM Filed Dec. 13, 1927 lllllllnlfflllllffflllvlllflllllnnlflllllla.rlvlflllillltfsltrinillllnlvlfrlwn:

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@Noting pumping unit, to lift Vterminated and to lift l 11,698,797PATENT OFFICE.

GABLES P. HOWE, OF COX CITY, OKLAHOMA.

01m-WELL nncnnmsm.

Application led December 13, 1927.' Serial No. 239,784.

. The presentA invention relates to oil well y mechanisms andparticularly to mechanisms or devicesfor sealing-olf oilwells atpredetermined points for the purpose of raising the oil.

Many types of oil well' packers and pumps have heretofore been designedor suggested but comparatively few types have been used in practice, andof those few types very few indeed have proven to be satisfactory inuse. The object ofl the present invention is to provide an oil wellmechanism having novel and improved features which may be incorporatedwith both packers andpumps, rendering both of these instrumentalitiessimpler and more rugged of construction and more eicient. The novelmechanism herein described is particularly applicable to pumps and bymeans of my invention it is possible cable, to automatically 'seal-odthe casing at the desired elevation exteriorly of the pumping operationinwhich the pump piston is cable operated, to automatically break theseal when the pumping operation is the pumping unit from the well bymeans of the cable, allof these operations being performed without theassistance of auxiliary piping or raising or lowering tools except inthe event of 'breakage of vhe cable itself whereupon the unit .may bereadily lifted by means of an ordinary fishing tool. 7 f

Various forms or embodiments of the present invention may be devisedwithout departing from thespirit thereof and in the accompanyingdrawings it is illustrated as incorporated in a packer and in a pump,the particular embodiments however being set forth by way of exampleonly.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a short length ofoil well casing showing a packer embodying the invention positionedtherein;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through. a `short section ofoil wellcasing showing a pump constructed in accordance with the presentinvention positioned therein andarranged for pumping operations;

Figure 3 is a similar view but showing the parts in different positions,the unit being ready to be raised from the well by means of a cable; and

to lower a complete pumping unit into a well casing by means of a theoil by an ordinary Figure is a section on line 4 4 of Figure 1. y

Referring first to Figures 1 and 4. Here the well casing is indicated at10 and it will be .understood that this casing is of the usual characterJand diameter. A relatively heavy..

metallic core is indicated at 11, thisn core having an upper conicalportion 12 and a lower cylindrical portion 13, the outer surfaces ofthese ortions' being coaxial andthe conical sur ace of the upper portiontapering downwardly toward the cylindrical outer surface of the lowerportion. The core has an -axial cylindrical aperture or bore 14 whichextends entirely therethrough.;

Upon the cylindrical outer surface ofthe lower portion 13 of the core ismounted a cylindrical slide 15, the downward movement of which islimited by the stop-ring 16. This slide has a plurality of longitudinalducts 17 formed as grooves in its inner wall and through which groovesoil may freely pass under certain circumstances. It is threaded near itsupper` end to receive a threaded ring or collar 18, the outer diameterof which is only slightly less than the inner diameter of the wellAcasing, and is also provided at its upper end with an outwardlyextending annular flange 19. This iiange extends within a groove formedin the inner wall of an expansible sleeve 2O preferably formed ofrubber, the lower edge of the-sleeve resting upon ring 18 and the sleevebeing locked in such position by the inter-engagement of flange 19 andthe walls of the groove within which it lies. To the bottom of slide 15is secured as by a threaded connection, a coupling member 21 which has asuiiciently large inner diameter to clear the ring 16 but the lower endof which is reduced to threadedly engage the upper edge of a pipe 22,the inner diameter of which is substantially the same as the innerdiameter of the longitudinal bore 14 of the core 11. A similar pipe 23is connected to the upper end of the' core by means of a threadedcoupling 24.

When being freely lowered into the well the lower edge of sleeve 15rests upon the stop-ring 16. When however the lower end of pipe 22strikes the bottom of the well, or any obstruction therein, this pipeand slide 15 become stationary, while pipe 23 and the core 'continuetheir downward descent. As a result-of this relative movement theconical member 12 ofthe core enters the expansible sleeve 2O and,engaging the upper edge of the same, expands outwardly-to engage theinner wall of the casing. An efficient seal is therefore effected by thecoaction of the conical portion of the core and the eX- pansible sleeveso that'there is no communication between the space in thewell casingbelow the cone 12 and that above the cone except through the centralbore 14. As a result of such sealing any gases which may be passingupwardly in the well are constrained to pass through` the conduit 14 andthe small pipes 22 and 23 and other pipes forming continuations of thesepipes, so that the lifting effect of the gas on the oil is accentuatedand the well will continue to flow although the gas pressure isquitevlow. When it is desired to remove "the device from. the well it isonly necessary to draw up-` wardly the pipe 23 to which the core. ll isattached. The conical portion 12 of the core immediately passes withoutthe expansible sleeve 20 and the seal is thereby broken. The entire unitmay be then readily drawn upwardly, the oil standing in the well abovethe seal leaking' past the unit either around the outside of theexpansible `sleeve 20 or downwardly through the groove 17, so that thestanding oil offers no substantial obstacle.

The pump. of Figures 2 and 3 comprises a core 30 also having an upperconical member 3l and a lower cylindrical member 32, the conical outersurface ofthe upper memer tapering downwardly toward the` cylindricalsurface of the lower member and these surfaces being coaXiallysubstantially to the top of the conical portion, but there terminates, aplurality of inclined passages 33 connecting the upper end of the borewith the space above the conical portion 3l and an axial cylindricalbore 34, of smaller diameter however than the main bore 33, extendingthrough the upper por tion of the core, this last mentioned passagebeing adapted for the reception of a pump rod. Movably mounted upon theportion 32 of the core is a cylindrical slide 35 formed similarly tothat described in connection with Figure 1, this slide likewise having aring 36 threaded thereto expans'ible sleeve the lower end of this sleevebeing interiorly grooved, described, to receive an annular flange 38extending outwardly from the upper end of the slide, whereby it islocked in the position illustrated.

To` the' lower end of the cylindrical porsuitable couplingfmember 40,a-pump cylinder 4lhav-in`g= at its lower end a check valve 42. Withinthe cylinder is positioned 'tion 32 of thecore, is secured by means of awell casing to another wearer a pump piston 43 of any well-known' typewhich is adapted to be operated by a pump rod 44 extending axiallyupward through passage 34 of the core and to the upper end of which isconnected a cable 45 by means of which the pump rod and piston may beraised and lowered.

A 'perforated liner is indicated at 46 and it will be understood thatthis liner normally rests upon the bottom of the well and is of means"of cable 45 and, when suspended the piston engages the upper end of thecylindrical bore 32 of the core, as clearly shown in Figure 3. A unitmay be freely lowered until the ring l36 engages the upper end of liner46, as shown in lfigure 3. The downward movement of the ring is therebyhalted and upon the continuance of the downward movement of the core 3Gthe conical portion 3l expansible ring 37 and causes the upper edge 'ofthe same to expand laterally to effectively seal that portion of thespace within the lying below the conical member 3l from that portionabove this member. The pump piston is then lowered somewhat further forpumping operations, this piston working from a point near the lower endof the pump chamber, as. shownin Figure 2, to a point near the upper endof the bore 32 of the core, but not contacting with the upper end Wallof this bore in its tion. The oil entering through the small thereofenters the j ordinary operalOl) aperture controlled by the check valve42 is Y lifted upwardly and makes its way through the diagonal ducts 334and into the well casing above the seal, thence to the top of thewell.

Uponthe discontinuance of the pumping operations the piston is lifted bymeans of the cable to the position in which it is shown in Figure 3,disengaging the conical portion 31 of the core from the expansiblesleeve, thereby breaking the seal. The entire unit may then be lifted tothe top of the well for inspection, replacement, repair or removal well.ln the event that the cable or pump rod breaks any ordinary type offishing tool may be lowered to engafe Ithe upper end of the core whichis provide with annular serrations 50 to enable the fishing tool toconveniently take hold. When the pumping unit is being lifted .through acolumn of oil, the oil which stands above the same. either leaks aroundtheV contracted exmanufacture and has the particular advan- I is claimedas new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the class described, in combination, a core having afluid passage therethrough adapted to be lowered into an oil well casingand having a cylindrical surface and a downwardly tapering conicalsurface, the said-surfaces being coaxial and the conical surface beingabove the cylindrical surface, a cylindrical slide mounted upon thecylindrical portion ofthe core andlongitudinally movable thereon, a ringfixed on said slide exteriorly thereof, andan expansible sleeve mountedon said ring and extending upwardly toward the conical surface of thecore,said conical surface being adapted to enter the sleeve and expandthe same against the inner Wall of a well casing upon the occurrence ofrelative movement of the slide and the conical surface in one direction,and to withdraw from said sleeve and permit the same to contract uponthe occurrence of relative movement of the slide and conical adapted tobe lowered into a casingand having a cylindrical portion yand a conicalportion, the said `portions being coaxial, the conical portionbeinguppermost and taperingdownwardly toward the cylindrical portion,said core having a cylindrical bore extending through the cylindricalportion and continuing upwardly into and nearly through the conicalportion, conduits leading from said bore to the upper surface of saidconical portion, an axial aperture of reduced diameter extending throughthe top of said conical portion for the passage-of a pump rod, a pumpcylinder secured to the lower end of the cylindrical portion, a pumppiston in said cylinder, a pump rod extending upwardly through saidaxialaperture whereby the piston may be. operated for pumping or may belifted to. strike the upper end of said cylindrical bore to enable theentire assembly to-be lifted by the pump rod, 'and means associated withthe core and adapted to be operated by the conical surface thereof forautomatically sealing off the well yexteriorly of the core when the coreis lowered to desired position and automatically breaking the seal whenthe coreis lifted by means of the pump rod.

5. The combination set forth in claim V1 in which said last mentionedmeans includes a cylindrical slide movably mounted upon -os V thecylindrical portion of the core and an expansible sleeve constrained tomove with said slide, downward movement of the core relatively to theslide and sleeve bringing the conical surface of the core into contactwith said sleeve.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

CHARLES l). HOlV-E.

